Jenni Dike joined the staff at the Hollister Veterinary Clinic five weeks ago as a veterinarian, but she is not entirely new to the practice.
Dike, who grew up in San Benito County, worked as a technical assistant at the clinic the summer after she finished high school.
“I had potential career plans,” she said.
She spent time working at Pet Friends, a rescue group founded by her grandmother with another local resident, and a wildlife center. She also worked with other veterinarians in the city. Dike graduated from the University of California, Davis with a degree in veterinary science and worked locally for a short time after graduating before settling in Washington state.
“I did mixed animal work,” she said, “Lllamas, alpacas, goats and sheep. Here I am doing a lot of dogs and cats.”
Jerry LeRoux, the primary veterinarian at the clinic, said he is happy to have a second doctor on board. LeRoux has been with the practice for 22 years, but had been the only vet on staff since former veterinarian Alan Painter retired a couple years ago.
Painter recalled working with Dike in her early days at the clinic.
“She started right out of high school,” he said. “She was a veterinarian before she was a veterinarian.”
Painter came into the practice in 1974 with partner George Freiermuth. Painter said he got the job by calling up the clinic and asking if Freiermuth needed any help. Freiermuth bought the practice from a man named C.S. Brooks, though neither Painter nor LeRoux knew exactly when Brooks founded the clinic. Painter recalled in his early years they did a lot more work on large animals but the focus since the early 1990s has been on smaller companion animals.
LeRoux said in his 22 years with the practice he has seen a change in the attitudes of pet owners.
“They take better care of them,” he said, noting that his favorite part of the practice is meeting the pet owners and their pets.
Dike said she was looking to move back to the San Benito area because she “missed seeing sunshine and family.”
“I miss my team from my previous job, but I am settling in with the team here,” she said.
She brought her two dogs with her from Washington, Buddy and Sparky.
